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Soldier's Missing Dog Located with Family Reluctant to Give him Back

We told you this past week about a Fort Carson soldier whose dog went missing while he is deployed in afghanistan. A Facebook page was made in an effort to find the dog, and we've learned the dog has now been located. "Baxter" is with a new family, but they are reluctant to give him back.

This soldier's best friend was left in the care of a girlfriend when his owner, Robby, was deployed to Afghanistan in March. The dog is a three-year-old Shiba Inu that Robby got when he was a puppy.

"They keep saying they have children that are attached," Robby's mother, Karen, told News 5. "Well my child is attached to the dog. Just because he's older doesn't mean he's not my child."

Unfortunately, the girlfriend, for whatever reason, sold the dog on Craigslist. The military family that bought Baxter has young children, and thought they were getting a family pet.

"Now that they know about it, they can do the right thing," says supporter Nancy Wallace. "They can teach their children, 'Yeah this is very difficult, but we do the right thing.'"

All of this came to light after a local saw a posting of Robby's asking for help finding Baxter. The organizers of the Facebook page have never met Robby, but are doing everything they can to make sure this story has a happy ending.

"No one wants to out them," says Wallace. "No one wants to give them any negative publicity. We just really want Baxter back home with Robby."

The Facebook page, "Help Bring Baxter Home 2014" has over 2,000 likes in just a few days. It's helped raise over $700 in reward money, which Robby is willing to double. The family has been offered $14,000, and the Colorado Shiba Inu rescue has even stepped in, offering to help them find a new dog.

"Thats just not something we should let him sit over in Afghanistan worrying about, his dog," Wallace says. "He should be doing the job he's there for and not having to worry about that. He should know that his dog is home and with his family and will be waiting for him when he gets home."

Robby has at least six months left in his deployment.

Facebook organizers say they've found an attorney who is willing to help the family stay anonymous and facilitate the transaction, reward money in exchange for Baxter.